ATP Nutrition’s Nutriscan uses a near-infrared sensor to measure a range of macro- and micronutrients in plant tissue and delivers the results to an app on a user’s smartphone.
Tag Archives crop nutrients
Hand-held device detects nutrient deficiencies in leaf tissue
The Nutriscan device won Manitoba Ag Days’ Innovation Award earlier this year
Soil fertility, revisited
Practical Research: The history of crop production on the Prairies was one of nutrient extraction at an alarming pace
Soil fertility: a simple concept that requires long and well thought out answers. There are lots of articles on soil nutrient testing, along with many procedures, methods and interpretations. Early on in the 1970s with Alberta Agriculture, my colleagues and I were very surprised with the answers to the soil testing questions we asked. A […] Read more
Dollars from data
Improving the quality of the quantifying can help improve bottom lines, nutrient management, yields and decision-making
Unlocking the full strength of your data can turn small changes into bigger returns, and smart, localized insights can boost a farm’s bottom line, Brunel Sabourin of Antara Agronomy says. Sabourin was speaking to an audience of farmers and agronomists at St. Jean Farm Days, an agricultural event at St. Jean Baptiste, Man., about 60 […] Read more
Ground Level: The power of seeing and the crutch of complexity
“Seeing is believing” is a common cliché applicable to the adoption of technology in agriculture. Adoption rates of autosteer, sectional control and weigh cells in grain carts and air-seeder tanks are incredible. Auto guidance adoption, for example, was well above 50 per cent in the U.S. as of 2019 (McFadden et al., 2023). Nowadays, it […] Read more
New biological aims to boost row crops’ yield
A new biostimulant that Syngenta says will boost yield for row crops is slated for release in time for the 2025 growing season. “YieldON amplifies the grain-filling processes that crops naturally do when they transition from the vegetative stage to the reproductive stage of their life cycle,” Chris Dumigan, biologicals technical lead with Syngenta Canada, […] Read more
Where the canola was: a history of Saskatchewan yields by soil climatic zone
Whether by nature, nurture or both, yields jumped in several zones around the turn of this century
Editor’s Note: Les Henry, the esteemed Prairie soil scientist and our longtime soils columnist, left us on June 14 at age 83. Up until the day before his passing, Les was working on and revising this column for the next (July 11) edition of Grainews. We’ll still have this on paper for you in a […] Read more
How to make P management more sustainable
Phosphorus deficits are a problem on many Prairie farms. A Manitoba crop nutrition expert explains why — and has suggestions for what can help
Phosphorus has always been an essential nutrient in crop production. Maintaining the right P balance — ensuring there’s enough of it to sufficiently feed crops, but not too much of it so it runs off fields or seeps away to contaminate water bodies — is an ongoing challenge for Prairie farmers. Manitoba crop nutrition expert […] Read more
Are your fields potassium deficient?
Cases of potassium-deficient soils are on the rise. It could mean a hit to your bottom line
Most farmers know the importance of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil and the vital role their presence plays in crop development. But what about potassium? Potassium (K) is critically important in helping provide water balance within a plant. The only way a plant can move sugar and nutrients is by moving […] Read more
Manuring cropland can be misunderstood and overdone
Sources of manure and compost
There are some 60,000 cow-calf farms and 20,000 dairy operations in Canada. Cattle numbers are around 12.5 million with more than 40 per cent of this total in Alberta. Alberta also had 90 per cent of the beef feedlots with lesser numbers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. There are 14 million hogs at any time in […] Read more
Balance micronutrients and macronutrients in your fields for best possible outcomes
Macronutrients are essential but only one part of the nutrient equation
When discussing the nutrient needs of a farming operation, most producers tend to think first about the macronutrients that are applied in large quantities to fields. These macronutrients, which include elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur, are essential but only one part of a well-balanced field. There is a second category of nutrients […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
